We Don't Have Flying Cars & It's Affecting Your Business Growth

Over the last 50 years, just about every sci-fi movie in existance has included the futuristic innovation of a flying automobile. Why? The thought of this kind of innovation was — and still is — the embodiment of innovative travel; a theoretical revolution in how humans get around. Interestingly enough, our pragmatic nature has supplied our civilization with unfathomable innovation over that same 50 year span. In fact, most sci-fi movies could not previously dream up the innovations that we have today. Unfortunately, the flying car seems to just as far away now as it was then. Is this feat impossible, or does it simply send a greater message to all of us about innovation and business growth?

The massive convenience of flying cars

Lack of demand and convenience is certainly not what has held back the invention and deployment of a flying car. Imagine what a tremendous change this would make to our daily lives. An automobile that could circumvent narrow travel pathways would be a game changer for consumers and businesses alike. It would be a tool that would allow drivers to travel faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Ever heard the phrase "as the crow fly's"? It's a description used to derive the exact distance between two locations; versus the actual travel distance for a human to travel between the same two points. With flying cars, human's could literally travel as the crow fly's. Let's just assume for a second that flying cars can't go faster than our modern automobiles. Even with the equivalent speed, travel time between modern ground-based transportation and a flying personal automobile could provide an unparalleled difference in speed.

Most importantly, let's not forget the flying cars affect on traffic. Anyone who has been to Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, or Chicago recently has likely had the unfortunate experience of enduring painfully slow and arduous traffic. Commutes in parts of L.A. can expose drivers to 2-3 hour commutes that may only actually be 10-20 miles in actual distance. As the population of these major cities grow, traffic is becoming an even more cumbersome and difficult issue to address. Flying cars would present communities with a virtue that improved public transportation simply cannot... limitless growth potential.

Flying cars could change the way our society travels, works, and thinks about geography. We won't even dive into the seemingly infinite business applications and opportunities that would emerge from this innovation as well. The ability to save time itself is invaluable with this innovation; it could literally save lives and improve society overnight. Nevertheless, the flying car does not exist today, and there is very little on the horizon to suggest that it will anytime soon. But, why?

The problem with flying cars

You want to know the biggest challenge with flying cars? Well, there are actually quite a few, and that's the problem, right? Flying cars present a minefield of logistical nightmares that have long frightened the industry leaders who would seemingly own this industry. The automobile makers, aerospace engineers, and inventors of the world recognize that it's more than the invention itself that is holding back widespread use.

Imagine for a second that a working prototype of a flying car was produced today. Now, think briefly about all the logistical, regulatory, societal, and cultural difficulties it would take to bring this type of innovation into mass use. There's almost too much to consider.

This is why Ray Kurzweil recently made the statement, "you wanted flying cars, but got 140 characters instead". Today's innovators find it much easier to build other — less impactful— innovations that present a much lower barrier to entry, less logistical problems, and greater certainty.

Although the technology to support mass consumer use of a flying car is no easy invention to perfect, it still isn't what's ultimately holding back the innovation. Planes were developed over 100 years ago. You'd certainly think a personalized form of this device could be perfected in the last century; given all of the other technological evolutions that have occurred over the same period of time.

The problem with the flying car is that no one wants the headache, nor does anyone know that it's even possible. Not just the invention, but the delivery. So what does this have to do with business growth?

Innovation can drive business growth

You see, much like the way innovators have avoided the flying car out of fear of hassles, headaches and roadblocks, businesses often avoid other technological innovations that could drive dynamic change inside of their business. Unlike the flying car, most of the technology that could be revolutionizing the way their businesses operate is largely proven and deployable. Luckily for business owners, things like cloud software, machine learning, integrated enterprise software systems, and business intelligence are accessible and available to all.

These business technologies are revolutionizing industries, and all future predictors point towards a massive shift in the way that most modern manufacturers, distributers, and supply chain businesses work. The problem is that many businesses will be slow to implement these innovations due to fear or apprehensiveness to change.

Businesses can create, manage, and sift through data with these innovation better than ever before. When access and management of this data is mastered, businesses begin achieving unprecedented ROI from across departments and Silo's. Imagine Sales, Ops, Shipping, and the like all uniformly producing better results; due to improved processes and better data. The impact on a businesses can be significant.

There's no doubt about it; implementing an integrated enterprise system, smart machines, or any of the other aforementioned technologies will certainly be a long, time-consuming process. However, just like in our flying car example, the benefits far outweigh the difficulties if everything is performed correctly. The main difference between these two things is that the innovation in your business is far more proven and achievable.

Pipedream vs. reality

Yes, the flying care may always be a pipe dream; however the significant impact that limitless travel system would have on our society is something that won't be ignored. When technical solutions are available to allow a lower barrier to entry to innovators, many will take a shot at the futuristic invention. The solutions needed to create dynamic and powerful business outcomes for your organization are available now, and many are making the jump as we speak. What's holding your business back from designing it's flying car?

Interested in learning more about connected enterprises, business intelligence, IoT and machine learning, and much more? Contact the Datix experts today. We're problem-solvers and see tomorrow's technology as the solution to today's many challenges.

Datix's EVP of Software Development, TJ, is a veteran development leader with experience in ASP.NET, SQL Server, Project Management, and many other valuable technologies. TJ possesses the ability to quickly transform technical requirements into powerful business outcomes.